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Monthly Archives: August 2011

Just because summer is winding down doesn’t mean the fun has to stop! Every summer my husband and his brother’s go on a boat trip, which is a perfect time for me to throw a summer soirée with the girls. I enjoy using the season’s fruits such as peaches and incorporating them into a menu. You can also use fresh berries or mangoes.

For appetizers I serve brie with peach jam and peach salsa with chips. For the main course I serve grilled peach glazed chicken, corn and bell pepper melody, and peach salad with fresh basil, mozzarella and olive oil. Of course a soirée isn’t complete without a signature cocktail such as a peach Bellini or peach flavored ice tea, lemonade, and vodka drink. Peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream is always a crowd pleaser or try one of my other peach desserts from my previous posts such as grilled peaches.

Grilled Peach Glazed Chicken

Ingredients: Serves 6

6 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 1/2 cup peach jam

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoons dried thyme

1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper

Pam cooking spray

Spray grill with Pam cooking spray and preheat grill. In a bowl mix all ingredients and then divide mixture. Pour or brush half of the peach glaze over chicken. Place chicken breasts on grill on medium heat for 6-7 minutes per side. Remove from grill and top the chicken with the remaining peach glaze.

Here are two DIY decorating projects that are the latest trends in events: personalized shelves and fabric letters. You can also use these DIY projects in styling your home such as nursery or living room.

Personalized Shelves and Cabinets:

A fun and creative way to display drinks or food at an event is to create personalized shelves. You can reuse shelves you already have or find inexpensive ones at a flea market, garage sale or discount store.

I picked neutral white shelves, but you can paint them any color. For the back of the shelves you want to coordinate the event’s color or the decor of your room. I choose a green and pink damask design from Michael’s and then glued the paper squares to the back of the cabinets with a glue stick.

Personalized Fabric Letters:

Looking for a whimsical way to make your next event pop or personalize a kid’s room? Try making your own fabric letters and coordinating them with the theme of your event or the decor of your kid’s room. You can find cardboard letter cut outs and an array of different fabrics at Hobby Lobby or Joann Fabrics. You’ll also need fabric glue and fiber fill. I alternated two different colored fabric to get my desired look, but you can use several different fabrics. Another idea is to use colored ribbon to get the desired look.

Like this:

One of my favorite meals to prepare for summer entertaining is the lobster roll. To save on time I usually by lobster tails and grill them rather than boiling live lobsters, but you can do either one. When making this meal for more than two people I often add crab meat to make it meatier. Also, use sourdough rolls or old-fashioned hot dog buns to dress up your meal. This is also a great dish without the bread for those trying to go carbless.

Lobster Roll

Ingredients: Serves 4-6

4 lobster tails

1 Cup of crab meat (optional)

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/3 cup of olive oil

1/4 cup finely chopped peeled celery

1/4 cup chopped parsley

Pam cooking spray

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

4 sour dough rolls

3 tablespoons light mayo

Spray grill with Pam cooking spray and pre-heat grill. Pour olive oil over lobster tails and add the salt and pepper. Grill lobster tails for 5-7 minutes on low to medium heat until they turn red. Remove from grill and let it cool. Toast rolls in the oven or on the grill with a little butter face down for two minutes or until golden brown. Stir together lemon juice, celery, parsley, and garlic salt. Remove meat from tails and add to mixture. Mix in the mayo. Add the mixture to the rolls and serve with grilled corn on the cobb.

Homemade ice cream sandwiches are the perfect dessert for kids and adults on a summer’s night or for a festive party! Bake your favorite cookie, one of mine is Tollhouse Chocolate Chip and Oatmeal, and let them cool. Turn cookies over and add two scoops of vanilla or coffee ice cream to the bottom of a cookie and place the other cookie on top to make sandwich. Add sprinkles for a dash of color.